Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has admitted to still vaping, despite her efforts to quit, stating her nicotine addiction has led to a "lifetime of purgatory." This admission comes as the Labour government, on the same day, announced plans to tighten planning rules, effectively cracking down on the proliferation of vape shops on high streets.
Rayner shared that she began vaping as an attempt to stop smoking, a habit she picked up as a teenager when she perceived smoking as "cool." She recounted that her children are "disgusted" by her vaping and have nicknamed her "the vape dragon." "I would be devastated if my kids started vaping. And that’s why I want to crack down on these vape shops that are outside schools, all these flavours that they get in. It is not cool," Rayner told LBC.
The new government measures, announced by Rayner and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, will require vape shops to apply for planning permission. The definition of such shops will also be refined to prevent them from circumventing rules by claiming to be convenience stores. The initiative aims to give local communities more power to control the types of businesses opening in their areas, particularly in response to high streets being described as "hollowed out" by the concentration of vape shops and betting establishments.
Under the proposed changes, it will also become easier for councils to reject applications for new betting shops. The government plans to revoke a previous rule that favored permitting such establishments, a policy introduced during Tony Blair's premiership. Adult gaming centers will also require planning permission. Furthermore, the maximum period for closure orders against rogue businesses, including those linked to organized crime, will be extended from six to 12 months, providing law enforcement and local authorities with more time for investigations.
However, the proposed measures have faced criticism. Lord Stuart Rose, a former boss of Marks & Spencer and a Conservative peer, dismissed the plans as "a lot of b******* about nothing." He argued that such a crackdown would not revive town centers without concurrent reforms to business rates to reduce operating costs for firms. "Getting rid of vape shops won't save the high street," he stated, adding that illegal shops should be shut down regardless of planning regulations and that local councils need more power to support businesses that contribute positively to high streets.